


Of Clashing and Conversation

by deathishauntedbyhumans



Series: Copper and Brimstone [8]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: Advice, And yet, Awkward Conversations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fight Club - Freeform, First Impressions, First Meetings, Friendship, Gen, Half-orc, Mice, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Present Tense, Second impressions, Slice of Life, Storytelling, Swearing, Taverns, Tieflings, Underage Drinking, Underage Fighting, Vague descriptions of violence, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000, i didn’t mean for this to happen but i accept it, i keep writing things from his point of view, i think tem might have a little bit of a crush on kerhs, kerhs is NOT MY CHARACTER, vague mentions of everyone in CAB
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-05-25 20:06:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14984624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathishauntedbyhumans/pseuds/deathishauntedbyhumans
Summary: Temerity meets some Large Bards and some chill chaos ensues.





	1. A Night at the Countess Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kerhs ends up at the Countess Arms Inn, where Temerity has been fighting in the underground "fight club" in order to keep room and board there. They fight, and end up talking afterwards, which leads to some fairly awkward conversation, given the fact that neither of them are really... good at people.

Kerhs is decidedly hammered when he agrees to fight in the dingy basement of the latest bar he’s found himself in, but he’s decidedly sober when he actually steps into the ring. It’s a good thing, too, because of everything he’d expected when the dirty dwarf had approached him… Well. Fighting a literal  _ child _ wasn’t high on his list.

It figures, he muses bitterly to himself, that they’d pit two outsiders against each other. He’d honestly thought this place was better than that. 

“I’m not fighting him,” he states, much to the general disappointment of the crowd, if their groans and angry mutters are any indication of their emotional state. 

“You’ve already got half the payment. You’re fighting,” the dwarf —his name began with a B, Kerhs thinks, but he can’t be bothered to remember it at the moment— tells him steadily, as though he’s done this negotiation before. 

He probably has, Kerhs thinks, looking back at the kid on the other side of the ring. 

“He’s a  _ child,” _ Kerhs says dismissively, and the kid glowers. 

“I’m almost sixteen,” he bites out, red skin glowing redder with a flush in the dim lighting around them. Kerhs rolls his eyes and looks pointedly at the dwarf.  _ You see my point?  _

The dwarf doesn’t take the bait. “Temerity’s one of our best, here. You’ll respect him just like you’d respect any other man you’d fight against.” The kid blinks as Kerhs watches him, as the dwarf speaks, and for a moment, shocked pride fills his features. The emotion shutters quickly, though, and he resumes his pouty glare in Kerhs’ direction almost immediately. Kerhs wants to laugh. Or yell. 

He does neither. Instead, he lets out a heavy sigh. “You have  _ got  _ to be kidding me.”

“Are we going to fight, or not?” The kid, Temerity, asks, grinning when  _ that  _ gets a positive reaction from the crowd. Kerhs just  _ knows  _ he’s going to regret this. 

“I guess we’re fighting,” he replies, finally looking the kid up and down, taking him in as he would any other adversary. Thin frame, short. Small horns, not much good in a fight. Healthy weapon, though: the morningstar in his hands looks well-used, and he has a dagger hanging from his hip. Kerhs is surprised, for just a moment, that a kid that small wields such a heavy weapon. 

And then Temerity lunges forward, and Kerhs barely has time to jump to the side as the crowd erupts into an equal amount of jeering and cheering for the little brat. 

 

—-

 

Neither of them wins the fight. 

The dwarf calls it a draw when Temerity finally goes down with blood streaming from a frankly appalling number of wounds, and takes Kerhs right with him with a crushing blow to his legs from the floor. 

Kerhs doesn’t want to admit it, but… The kid’s got skill. 

When they step out of the ring, their wounds become nonexistent. Kerhs vaguely remembers the dwarf explaining something about magic keeping them from actually dying during the fights. It’s convenient, he muses. 

He looks over at Temerity, watching him amongst the crowd. He’s grinning, triumphant despite the technical tie, but there’s an edge to him. He looks… nervous, and he startles just a little every time someone gets too close. 

Kerhs understands the feeling. 

Which is why, he thinks, he finds himself walking towards the kid before he really considers the action much. He places a hand on Temerity’s shoulder, and the kid physically tenses under his touch as he whips his head around to look at him. The people milling about quiet some as they register what’s happening. 

Temerity opens his mouth to speak, but Kerhs interrupts him. “Come on back upstairs with me.” He pauses, but… if the kid is old enough to nearly beat him in a fight… “I’ll buy you a drink, kid.” 

The kid gives him an appraising look, suspicion clear in his eyes. Kerhs raises both of his eyebrows at the scrutiny, and Temerity seems to find an answer in that to whatever silent question he was asking, because he gives one stiff nod before shrugging Kerhs’ hand off his shoulder and leading the way to the stairs. 

 

—-

 

Temerity plops himself down at one of the tables in the corner of the tavern, and Kerhs heads to the bar, holding up two fingers at the bartender and waiting for the drinks. They’re handed to him before he can rethink his own impulsivity, and he tosses a few coins onto the counter without much thought and navigates his way over to the table the kid has claimed. 

He sits down and sets one mug of ale down in front of Temerity, who picks it up immediately and takes a long sip before setting it down again, fingers playing anxiously along the handle. 

There’s a steady buzz of activity around them, but their table is silent. Kerhs  _ hates _ it. 

“So…” he begins, and Temerity whips his head up to look at him again, gaze hard once more. “You fight well.” 

Temerity stares at him a moment too long before he responds. Kerhs supposes that’s fair. 

“...So do you. I’m usually better than a lot of the people Baldur brings down there.” 

“You fight here a lot?” Kerhs doesn’t bother to attempt to contain his surprise. 

Temerity snorts. “It’s not like I can do anything else. I came here while I was…” he hesitates for a split second. “Travelling,” he continues. “And fought once, in a group. I came back here when we were done. They let me stay here for free if I fight.” 

“They don’t pay you?” 

Temerity shrugs. 

Kerhs frowns deeply, and takes a swig of his ale to hide his thoughts. The last thing he needs to do is get involved in some kid’s life, but… “That’s ridiculous,” he states, setting the ale down again decisively. “The way you fight, you should be making twice what that dwarf paid me tonight.”

Temerity shrugs again. “They let me stay here,” he repeats, as though that’s enough for the show he’d managed to put on for the crowd down below them. (It isn’t, not by a long shot.)

Kerhs stares at him for another moment in disbelief, and then shakes his head, gaze flicking about before landing on a wobbling man across the room. As Kerhs watches, the man stumbles off of his barstool and manages a total of three steps before he’s facedown on the floor. There’s raucous laughter that follows; nobody helps the man up. 

“Arthur Polydory,” Temerity says, and this time, it’s Kerhs that’s turning to look at him in confusion. He finds Temerity still watching the man on the ground. 

“Excuse me?”

“Arthur Polydory,” Temerity says again, pointing with his index finger towards the spectacle. “He likes to drink.” 

Kerhs glances back at the man and feels a strange pang of empathy for him. He’s had… one too many nights like that before. Days, too. “I’m sure he has a good reason.”

Temerity shrugs, and tilts his mug towards himself, dipping his finger into it. Kerhs’ brow creases as Temerity deftly undoes one of the fanny packs he’s wearing —he’d tied them on after the fight, right after leaving the ring— and sticks his finger inside. 

“What are you—?” Kerhs begins to ask, though he cuts himself off abruptly as a small pink nose and dark whiskers appear against Temerity’s finger. “What is  _ that?”  _

“Trust,” Temerity says, as if that clears anything up. He glances up at Kerhs and, presumably, catches sight of his horrified expression, because he places his clean hand protectively against the fanny pack and explains, “She’s my mouse.” 

“Oh,” Kerhs says faintly. 

So, the kid fights for free —for room and board, but not for gold, so it’s a moot point— in a run-down inn, fights _well_ _enough_ to get Kerhs on the ground, and has a _pet mouse_. 

Kerhs is fairly certain that the universe is playing a cruel, cruel joke on him. He’s also fairly certain that he’s too sober to deal with it. The thought occurs to him, and he raises his mug to his lips immediately, downing half of the liquid left in one long draught. 

“Well,” he says, already standing up. Temerity watches him, gaze shuttering off again. “This has been fun. But I should get going.” He’ll find another inn to stay the next night, he decides then and there. If he even stays in this town at all. 

He picks up the mug once more and downs the rest of the ale before tilting it in an obvious semblance of a toast towards Temerity and placing it down on the table again. “I’ll see you around, kid.”

Temerity shrugs, but raises one hand in a half-wave right before Kerhs turns around. Kerhs returns the gesture without thinking, and leaves the tavern and the inn without another word to anyone else there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Temerity belongs to me!  
> Kerhs belongs @sarcastic-skeptic on tumblr  
> Baldur and Arthur Polydory belong to @bagobats on tumblr


	2. Another Night, Another Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet again. They drink again. Temerity just wants to impress the nice half-orc that fights good.

“I know you.” 

The half-orc currently speaking with a pretty elven --half elf? Temerity can’t really tell, and doesn’t really care enough to figure it out-- woman looks up sharply at the sound of someone addressing him. Temerity doesn’t bother to try to smile or look any more friendly than he knows he already doesn’t, and the elven woman raises both of her eyebrows and looks curiously back to the half-orc in front of her. 

There is a flash of recognition in his eyes before the half-orc looks away again, waving a hand noncommittally. “I think you’ve got me confused with someone else.” 

“No,” Temerity says, annoyance leaking into his voice. “I know you. You fought me.” When the half-orc ignores him, Temerity takes another step forward, effectively putting himself in between the the two. “At the Countess Arms. You bought me a drink.” 

The woman blinks, and then shakes her head slowly. “I’ll talk to you later, Kerhs.” And before the half-orc can say anything more to her, she turns, short-cropped hair rustling as she sashays away. 

Temerity watches her go before turning back to Kerhs, who looks visibly disgruntled. “What do you want, kid?” 

“You fought me,” he repeats, and Kerhs heaves a sigh. 

“Yes, okay. I fought you. I remember. Is that all?” 

Temerity squints at him for a long moment, long enough that Kerhs shifts awkwardly and opens his mouth, presumably to speak. 

“What are you doing  _ here _ ?” Temerity asks finally, cutting off whatever Kerhs had been about to say. For his part, Kerhs looks very much as though he wasn’t expecting the question. 

“What does it matter to you? I could ask you the same thing,” Kerhs blusters, crossing his arms and drawing himself up to his full height. Temerity isn’t exactly  _ intimidated _ , but… Well. The half-orc isn’t exactly small, and Temerity knows that he isn’t exactly… tall. It’s just a  _ bit _ of a height difference between them, is all.

But it hadn’t mattered in the fight they’d had, and it sure doesn’t matter now. 

Temerity draws himself up to his own full height --even though it’s somewhat less-impressive than what Kerhs can boast-- and looks up at him, his features carefully blank. “You’ve heard about the King? The Darlingtons?” he asks, doing his best to stay neutral. 

Kerhs snorts. “Of course I have.” 

“That was me.” Temerity pauses, just a beat. His gaze is bright, eyes shining despite his best efforts to stop it from happening. “Well. Us. Me and some others. I don’t fight at the Countess Arms anymore.”  _ That  _ isn’t quite true; he still goes back in from time to time, especially because Baldur actually pays him now that he’s technically a “hero” and not just some dirty street-kid that washed in looking to hit shit. 

He still wants to hit shit, but that’s beside the point. 

Kerhs rolls his eyes. “You can’t honestly expect me to believe that,” he says, and Temerity frowns. 

“I can, and you should. Because it’s true.” He isn’t quite sure why it matters, but it also isn’t the first time he’s ever approached someone without a solid plan in mind for why he’s approaching in the first place. Kerhs had given him a good fight back at the Countess Arms, better than most. Temerity just… kinda wants to impress him. 

“You’re a child,” Kerhs states impatiently. “I don’t have time for this.” He turns on his heel, in the direction that the elven lady had gone, and begins walking away. Temerity scowls again.

“It’s  _ true _ ,” he repeats, hot on Kerhs’ heels, despite the obvious displeasure emanating from him at being followed. “Camilla Darlington tried to have us all killed at the Masquerade.” 

“You weren’t at the Masquerade,” Kerhs states, shaking his head. Temerity groans aloud, grabbing at his sleeve. 

“I was too!” He knows he sounds like a child, but in the moment, getting Kerhs to stop and listen to him for just a  _ second  _ feels more important than retaining any semblance of dignity in Kerhs’ presence. He’s already fought the guy, anyways; any dignity he might’ve had in the beginning had probably already been knocked out of him back then. “Would you just stop for a minute and listen to me?” 

Kerhs  _ does _ stop, then, rather suddenly, and Temerity finds himself running into the very-solid weight of the half-orc in front of him. He makes a soft grunting noise, righting himself as Kerhs turns around to look at him exasperatedly. 

“Look, kid. I get it, you know me, you fought me. That’s great. But if you’ll excuse me, I have some very important business to take care of… somewhere that’s not here.” He makes to pull his sleeve away, but Temerity holds fast. 

“I’m telling the truth,” he tells him adamently, ignoring Kerhs’ efforts to pry him off his clothing. “I’ll… I’ll buy you a drink and tell you about it?” 

The last-ditch effort to get Kerhs’ attention actually  _ works _ , and Kerhs stops trying to pull away from him long enough to give him a strange look. 

“Why do you care if I believe you?” Kerhs asks, and Temerity tries hard not to look as though he is lying. 

“I’ve been travelling since it happened, and I thought the company might be nice?”  _ I wanted to impress you because you fight well and you’re obviously important somehow; nobody fights that well without a reason.  _ “Besides.” He shoots a smirk up at Kerhs “What do you have to lose? I’m just a child, right? It’s not like I could hurt you or anything.”

Kerhs throws a cursory look in the direction of the morningstar on his back, and Temerity can’t help the laugh that escaped him as he gives a tiny shrug. 

“...Y’know what, kid? Since you already scared away my evening company, fine. I’ll take you up on your offer. But  _ only _ because you said you were buying.” 

Temerity nods, a grin slipping over his features despite himself. “Yeah, I did. C’mon, I think there’s a tavern around here somewhere.” 

  
  


It takes a few minutes for Temerity to find his bearings. He’s been travelling, mostly because staying in one place for too long still makes him feel antsy, and while he’s been in this town multiple times for some fairly long stints, he isn’t an expert. Still, he finds the tavern faster than he expects, and lets Kerhs lead the way inside when the half-orc nudges his way past him into the building. 

That’s fine. Honestly, Temerity is surprised that getting Kerhs to come with him even worked. 

Kerhs takes a seat at the counter, and Temerity clambers up onto the stool beside him, ignoring the side-eye he gets from the barman. It only takes him a second to flash a few gold in his direction, though; he gets a wide smile and a hand signal that’s an obvious sign for “I’ll be with you in a minute.” 

Temerity doesn’t miss the glance Kerhs shoots at his coin, although when he thinks back on Kerhs’ reaction to Trust the last time they met, he does wonder if  _ that’s  _ the reason for the staring. 

“So. The Darlingtons,” Kerhs says, in a voice that’s very obviously pandering. Temerity does his best to resist the urge to say something nasty. Somewhere in the back of his head, he hears Van’s voice telling him to behave. 

The barman comes over, and Temerity gestures for Kerhs to speak first. He does, and Temerity orders a Regular Frog, on the rocks, and gets a strange look from Kerhs for it. He ignores it. 

“Doesn’t everyone want to know what happened with the royal family?” Temerity asks, a grin starting on his face. “I’ve heard people talking about it whenever I go somewhere new. It’s very strange, knowing everything that actually happened.” He’s enjoying this, probably more than he should. 

Kerhs receives his drink and raises it to his lips, downing half of it in one go. “You’re not making any points so far, kid,” he informs him once he sets the mug down again. Temerity shoots a point look at the half-empty drink, and Kerhs shrugs. Conceding, Temerity decides to himself. 

“My name is  _ Temerity _ , by the way. I’m really not a kid.” 

Kerhs looks unimpressed. “How old are you?” 

“Sixteen.” 

“Yeah.” Kerhs laughs. “You’re a kid.” He picks up the mug again, sips at the drink instead of downs it this time. “You were talking about the royal family.” 

Again, Temerity hears Van in the back of his mind, cautioning him against being brash. He hates how, even when Van isn’t there, he’s still always right. 

“Yeah. I was.” And Temerity tells him. He hasn’t really talked about anything that happened, because… Well. The only people he really spoke to had all  _ been  _ there with him when it was happening, and reliving it all was hard. It’s not as though he can speak to Juno about it; Kava’s gone off on her own adventure again without them, and Van is… Well, he’s talked to Van, about Idna and how he feels about everything that happened, but it’s not the same as telling the story to someone new for the very first time. 

And Kerhs actually lets him talk. Once he gets going, it’s hard to stop, and Kerhs only interrupts a few times in the very beginning before he stops and just listens to the story. Temerity is watching Kerhs’ face nearly the entire time, and as he keeps going, he can  _ see  _ Kerhs start to believe him. 

And then he’s finished, and he’s exhausted himself, because he hadn’t  _ planned  _ on going over the entire story today, and yet… Well. He shuts himself up when he’s finished and finally sips at his Frog, throat slightly sore from everything he’s thrown out of it. 

And Kerhs stares at him. Kerhs stares for at least a minute after he finishes, and Temerity registers that there are three empty mugs in front of him and a fourth that’s still mostly-full, and he realises that maybe, just maybe, he wanted to talk about this more than he realised. 

If that’s what made him approach a near-stranger like this, he supposes it isn’t a terrible use of a day. 

“Wow,” Kerhs finally says, beginning to shake his head. Temerity laughs, just a little nervously, and brushes his fingers along the pouch at his front where he knows Trust is hiding. “I guess you’re telling the truth, then. That, or you’re  _ very  _ good at making things up on the spot.” It’s a compliment and a concession rolled into one, and Temerity is weirdly proud of himself for earning it. He shrugs. 

“I told you I wasn’t lying.” 

“You did.” Kerhs returns the gesture, shrugs. Raises his current drink to his lips and takes a long draught. Sets down the glass. “I’m impressed. It sounds like you fight just as well out there--” He gestures vaguely towards the door of the pub in demonstration. “As you do in places that are made for it. And you’re still alive.” 

“Yeah.” Temerity is weirdly proud of that, too. “I am.” 

  
  


They part ways again when the sun is set and the moon is risen; Temerity leaves the tavern for the inn he’s been staying at. He leaves Kerhs sitting at the counter, staring into his seventh cup of ale, his gaze turned stormy somewhere in the middle of the fifth. 

(When Temerity tells Van about the not-quite-stranger the next time he sees him, Van doesn’t believe him at first. And then he does; Temerity can see the realistion on his face and knows that his thought process must be somewhere along the line of remembering who he’s talking to. Van smacks him lightly across the back of his head and chastises him for talking to strangers. When Temerity mentions the drink involved, he has to duck out of the room, laughing, as Van shrieks and attempts to swat him again.) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Temerity is mine  
> Kerhs and Juno belong to @humorless-hexagon  
> Baldur, the Darlingtons, Idna, and the King belong to @bagobats on tumblr  
> Kava belongs to @mushygreens on tumblr  
> Van belongs to @dennibun on tumblr


	3. Meeting a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Temerity runs into Kerhs again, and this time, Kerhs has a special friend with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My therapist started psychoanalysing my d&d characters and told me to make U'riel and Temerity meet so uh.... 
> 
> This takes place sometime quite a bit after the last chapter, because Kerhs and U'riel have actually had a CONVERSATION sometime in between and are together again.

“Fuck,” Temerity swears, falling down into the first vacant seat beside him and grabbing at his foot. “Fuck, shit. Ouch. Godammit, fuck.” He rubs at his poor, abused toe. “Fuck.” The idea of going barefoot had been appealing when he’d first thought of it in his room upstairs, but he can’t help but regret it now. 

He’s fought dozens of cruel foes, angry spirits, talking mushrooms… And now, here he is, taken down by the bottom of a stool against his big toe. It’s not exactly a fitting death. 

“Fuck,” he repeats in a mutter, the pain easily settling into a dull ache. It... doesn’t hurt as much as he thought it was going to, actually; he drops his foot back down to the floor and finally looks up as the realisation that he is being watched hits him. 

A strangely-familiar half-orc is staring at him in wry amusement from across the table Temerity has chosen, his hand loosely laced with that of a winged -- _ winged??--  _ man beside him. 

“Oh,” Temerity says, fingers automatically brushing the pouch at his front. He feels Trust shift inside of it and curls his fingers inside, letting her nibble at the tips. “Hello.” 

“Hello,” the winged man replies, staring at Temerity curiously. Temerity shifts focus to him instead. “Are you alright?” the man adds, and Temerity nods slowly. 

“I’m fine. Just a stubbed toe.” 

The winged man is an elf, Temerity realises after a moment. Avariel, then? Temerity has heard of them before, but he’s never seen one in person. 

“I’m pretty sure you’ve seen worse,” Kerhs finally says, and Temerity huffs out a laugh despite himself. 

“I’m pretty sure you  _ dealt  _ me worse,” he replies, and Kerhs shrugs in obvious admission without letting go of the winged elf’s hand. The elf, for his part, looks between Kerhs and Temerity in confusion. 

“The two of you… know each other?” he asks, and Kerhs shrugs again. 

“Remember when I told you about that fight club I accidentally dropped into?” he asks, and the avariel’s features shift smoothly into a frown. 

“ _ Kerhs,”  _ he says, sounding scandalised. “You did not mention that you fought a  _ child _ !” 

“I’m not a child!” Temerity protests, at the same time Kerhs says, “Don’t worry, Angel, he’s a lot tougher than he looks.” Temerity feels a stab of warmth go through him at Kerhs’ obvious defense. It’s nice, especially since Temerity had all but poured his heart out to Kerhs the last time they’d spent any time together. 

“I apologise for him,” the avariel says sincerely to Temerity, and Temerity shakes his head. 

“He gave me one of the best fights there.” There’s a pause as Temerity continues to stare. “Who  _ are  _ you?” he adds, because he still has no idea who he’s dealing with. Or why he’s holding Kerhs’ hand. 

“Oh!” The avariel looks properly scandalised again. “Forgive me. I am U’riel.” He holds out a hand, the one not still linked with Kerhs’, and Temerity stares at it for a moment too long before reaching out to shake it. His hand is mostly smooth, save for a few calluses here and there along his fingers. Temerity shakes his hand and lets go again, still watching him curiously. 

“Temerity.” 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, I am certain. Any friend of Kerhs’ is a friend of mine,” U’riel states. 

Kerhs makes a face. “ _ Friend _ is putting it a little strongly, Angel.” 

“Hey!” Temerity protests without thinking. Kerhs is right, though. They’re not  _ really  _ friends. They’re just… people who have bought each other drinks before. And who fought each other in a magic fight club, once. 

“Kerhs.” U’riel’s voice is an admonishment, a warning, and Kerhs rolls his eyes and leans over, pressing his lips to U’riel’s temple. Temerity makes a face. “Be nice.” 

“I’m being perfectly nice,” Kerhs tells him, sitting back properly in his seat. He grins at Temerity, who wrinkles his nose right back at him. “Aren’t I, kid?” 

“ _ Nice  _ is putting it a little strongly,” Temerity says bitterly. U’riel chuckles while Kerhs looks annoyed. “What are you even doing here?” 

“We are travelling,” U’riel says, before Kerhs can even open his mouth. “It has... been a long while since we have been able to travel together.” His eyes shine when he says it, and Kerhs blinks in surprise, his gaze flying to the avariel beside him and then softening considerably. “How about you, young one?” 

Resisting the urge to protest the title --at least it isn’t  _ child _ \-- Temerity shrugs. “About the same, I guess. This place is a good stop on the way back to Van’s farm.” He glances at Kerhs, catching the spark of recognition there. Good. At least Kerhs was listening to him, before. “Van’s my friend,” he adds, for U’riel’s sake. U’riel nods sagely. 

“Friends are very important to rely on,” he says, and Kerhs snorts. 

“You sound like a phony magician,” he tells him, and U’riel smiles back, nudging at him gently. 

“At least I do not act like one.” 

Alright, so… Temerity is  _ pretty  _ sure he knows just why they’re holding hands. It’s not like he  _ cares  _ or anything, but it’s definitely weird to see Kerhs looking… happy. The last few times they’ve met, he’s only looked… grumpy. Angry. Sad. Temerity supposes it’s nice to see him that way. If the stranger of an avariel makes him happy, then it’s nice that they found each other. This elf was prettier than the one that Kerhs had been flirting with the last time Temerity had bothered him, anyways.

“Anyways. I’m supposed to head out soon. It was good to see you, Kerhs.” Temerity nods at him before waving towards U’riel. “And good to meet you, too, I guess.” 

“It was nice to meet you, as well,” U’riel responds with a genuine smile. It… unnerves Temerity, just a little, because he can  _ tell  _ that U’riel is being completely honest about it. Most people just aren’t like that. 

Temerity snatches a sausage from the counter and tosses a few coin onto it in its place before sneaking back upstairs, grievous toe injury all but forgotten in the wake of the strange encounter with Kerhs and U’riel, and at the prospect of completing his journey to visit Van.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kerhs belongs to humorless_hexagon  
> U'riel and Temerity are both mine!  
> Van belongs to Dreamy_Serenade


	4. You're Not Worth the Effort It Takes to Hate You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Temerity has a run-in with someone from his past. He doesn't know what to do or where to turn, so he ends up in a tavern. 
> 
> U'riel is sitting in a tavern, because he is waiting for Kerhs to return from a job. When confronted with the small tiefling that he recognises as Kerhs' friend, he does not give himself any choice in the matter of whether or not to offer advice to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is taken from the song _Piece of Cake_ by The Echo Bombs. 
> 
> Me? Thinking about the shit my therapist said about making these two dorks meet? Wtf are you talking about. 
> 
> I wrote half of this at work because I have no self control.

U’riel remembers the young tiefling as soon as he storms into the tavern, even though his hair —longer and less messy than the last time he had seen him— is sopping wet and his face seems as though it might be redder than usual. The youth slams his way through the establishment, only stops at a table in a corner, and all but falls dramatically into a chair. He drops his head onto the table to complete the debacle, and U’riel is out of his own seat before he really catches up with the initial action. 

“May I sit?” he asks, and the youth —Temerity, U’riel is certain his name is— startles, his head flying up and wild eyes darting about before focusing on U’riel. He stares long and hard at him, too long for recognition. “I am Kerhs’ partner?” he adds, and there, finally— a spark of recognition in the tiefling’s eyes.

“No,” Temerity mumbles, dropping his head back down. U’riel hesitates. It is obvious that Temerity is in distress, but if he wishes to be left alone… 

“Please?” U’riel tries, but Temerity does not answer. Disheartened, U’riel shifts on his feet, wings ruffling a little in agitation. He is not one to force his company on others, but he is aware that Kerhs and Temerity are something akin to friends. He does not wish to leave Kerhs’ friend in a time of need, even if Temerity refuses to acknowledge that need himself, and Kerhs is not currently available to assist. 

(The current job that he is a part of has taken longer than anticipated, and though U’riel worries profusely, he trusts that Kerhs is alright. He has to.) 

“Can I buy you something to eat?” U’riel asks, a last-ditch effort to attempt to help. Temerity keeps his head on the table and mumbles something. “...I beg your pardon?”

“Drink,” Temerity repeats, and this time, it is coherent, if still a bit muffled. “If you really wanna help. Frog. Regular. On the rocks.” 

Buying alcohol for one so young does not exactly feel right, either, but U’riel  _ is _ familiar with the tiefling’s requested choice of beverage. There is hardly enough alcohol in it to actually do much. U’riel nods despite the fact that Temerity is still not looking at him and turns away to make a beeline for the barkeep. 

Nobody seems to really notice U’riel as he sidesteps his way through the tavern. Most of the attention, in fact, seems to be on a small blue gnome sitting atop a large brute of a man wearing nothing more than a strip of cloth across his lower half. U’riel pays them little mind, focusing wholly on getting the drink back to Temerity without knocking into anyone in the process, but he does catch the gnome halfway through some kind of wild tale of an escape from a dangerous maze. 

Ignoring them, U’riel sets the mug of Frog on the table in front of Temerity and finally takes a seat across from him. For his part, Temerity has not moved. His head is still on the table. 

“Temerity?” U’riel tries, when his presence back at the table is not acknowledged. Temerity grunts, his shoulders shaking just a little in a way that U’riel immediately recognises. 

Temerity is crying. 

Just as the realisation hits U’riel, Temerity pushes himself upright, sniffling fiercely as he swipes at his face. U’riel frowns in concern, but Temerity does not look at him. Instead, the young one reaches desperately for the drink and takes a long draught that could rival Kerhs’ ability to stow alcohol away. It takes him a good thirty seconds before he puts the mug down again. 

“What has happened?” U’riel asks gently, but it seems to be the wrong thing to say, because Temerity finally glances up and  _ glares _ . It does not last long. The fire in Temerity’s eyes dulls after a moment, and he sniffles again as he looks back down. 

“Are you injured?” U’riel asks next. If Temerity will not give him the answer, U’riel is unafraid to guess at the problem at hand. 

Temerity scoffs weakly, pushing a hand through hair still sopping wet from the rain outside. “No. It’d be easier if I was. Fuck,” he adds, dropping his head back to the table. “‘m at least used to that. Not that I’m not used to shit like this.” The last of his statement is muffled, and U’riel only thinks he catches it all, but he understands enough to move on. He is not physically injured. 

“Did somebody say something to hurt you?” U’riel tries after a moment, brows knitting together in thought as he considers other reasons for such obvious despair. There is no verbal response from the little tiefling, but U’riel does notice his shoulders tremble again. He wonders if he has hit a nerve. 

There is a cheer from somewhere behind them; U’riel glances back to see the gnome waving her arms and grinning while the large man keeps a hand behind himself in an obvious attempt to keep her from falling. When U’riel turns back, he catches sight of Temerity watching them as well. 

“I hate this,” Temerity mutters. He drags himself up once more and pulls the mug closer to him, body curling in as he huddles against it. He does not drink, though. He merely stares into the half-empty glass moodily, as though it holds an answer to a question he is afraid to ask. 

“What did they say?” U’riel asks quietly. He has heard many things throughout his travels, directed at anyone and everyone who was obviously different from the vast majority. He has also heard many things from his own fellows, back in the strange town-between-the-earth-and-sky that he had grown up in after moving away from his first home. It seems that nobody truly knows how to  _ tolerate  _ others, even when they do not approve of them. 

Temerity’s gaze flicks to him again, but it lacks the fire from before. Instead, it is blank. Hollow. “It’s not what she  _ said _ .” 

If it is not what she…? U’riel’s brow crinkles again, and Temerity seems to take that as an invitation to thunk his head down against the worn wood of the table once more. This time, he nearly upsets his drink in the process; U’riel reaches out without thinking to steady it. 

If it is not the fault of the specific  _ words  _ this mysterious “she” has said, then it is definitely something else that she has done. An action, perhaps? Is it a mother scorning her child? U’riel does not want to think about that. A potential lover scorning this, her potential mate. Temerity is too young for a lover, but U’riel finds it easier to think on this, as it is no longer as close to the state of his own affairs. Is it a friend who has hurt him? A stranger on the street who has wronged him? 

“I don’t remember your name,” Temerity mumbles, and U’riel blinks at him. 

“I am U’riel,” he states at length. Temerity curls an arm around the mug, pressing his forehead against the side of it. 

“Well, U’riel,” he begins. U’riel leans forward in order to better hear him, since his voice gets trapped between the mug and the table. “Not that you give a shit, but a bunch of shit just  _ keeps happening.  _ And I  _ hate  _ it.” 

U’riel takes a moment to process, and then cocks his head a little to the side. “This is about… her?” he chances. 

“ _ Yeah.”  _ Temerity groans and pulls back just enough to shove a fist against his eyes, rubbing at them furiously. “ _ Fuck.” _

U’riel is… not certain where to go with that. “Who is she?”

“ _ Idna _ ,” Temerity snarls out. It is not exactly a helpful answer. 

“Idna?” 

Temerity groans again, dropping his hand back into his lap. “I didn’t want to see her. I never wanted to see her again. I…  _ fuck _ . I wanted to kill her. I wanted to…” He makes a strangled sound. “She betrayed us all. I hate her, I— I  _ want  _ to hate her, but I saw her there and I tried to talk to her and it was  _ stupid  _ it was so  _ stupid—  _ She looked at me like I was  _ nothing  _ and I know I’m not much but—  _ Augh  _ and I should  _ hate  _ her I  _ hate  _ her but— I don’t  _ know—  _ I just—“ He finally cuts off completely, shoulders shaking again with repressed sobs as his breathing shortens. 

U’riel does not know what, exactly, is going on. He obviously does not have the full story, and he can hardly even put any of the pieces he  _ does  _ have together. Temerity’s explanation raises more questions than answers, if he is being completely honest. But Temerity is obviously distressed, and U’riel has managed to understand enough to make an attempt to comfort him. So he does. 

“I will admit that I am unaware of the circumstances in which you and this Idna have spent time together,” he says, watching Temerity closely. The child does not respond, head bowed again, but U’riel can tell he is listening. “But you…” He searches for the right words. “You do not  _ have  _ to know what to feel.” 

“What?” When Temerity replies, it is in a half-voiced sob that carries the question. U’riel reaches across the table and gently squeezes Temerity’s shoulder. 

“There are many things that happen,” he says, reusing Temerity’s earlier phrasing. “—that we do not know what to do in response. It does not mean that there is anything wrong with us… and it does not mean that  _ you  _ are wrong for not knowing.” 

“She’s a bitch,” Temerity bites out. U’riel stays quiet, lets him continue if he desires. “She— She never wanted to be my friend.” His voice cracks on the last word, breaking like a staff with too much tension on either side. “She just wanted to take notes for—“ He stops himself abruptly, shaking his head a little. Water splatters lightly onto the table from his hair. “I don’t care. I— I should’ve just swung at her.”

“That would not have solved your problem,” U’riel says. While he is still uncertain of the exact problem Temerity is facing, he  _ is  _ certain that attempting violence is most likely not the best solution. 

“How d’you know?” Temerity asks, gaze training itself on U’riel without his head actually lifting. U’riel concedes with a little shrug, and then shakes his own head once. 

“You have met Kerhs,” he says, and Temerity frowns, but nods slowly. “We were not always… the way we are now. The way you have seen us.” 

“You’re… together,” Temerity mumbles, voice tilting like a question at the end. U’riel nods. 

“Yes,” he says, and he cannot help the note of pleasure that slips into his voice. He quashes it, quickly. “But it has not always been easy. We… had an unfortunate misunderstanding, one that resulted in a long separation from one another. But I would not wish pain upon him. I never wished pain upon him. And although he may have wished it upon me—“ U’riel winces. “—he never acted upon it. Violence is not the answer, young one. It is much easier to turn the other cheek and move on than to focus only on hurting the source of your discomfort.”

Temerity looks rather like he is chewing on the offered advice, so U’riel allows the silence to stretch on when he is finished to let him digest. He sits up just enough to take a drink of his Frog before dropping his head down against one of his arms on the table, chin resting so that he is actually making eye contact with U’riel. 

“Did you know how you felt about him?” Temerity asks, and U’riel inclines his head a little, silently asking for elaboration. Temerity acquiesces. “Kerhs. When you… separated. Did you  _ know  _ how you felt?” 

“No.” The answer comes easily, rolls off of his tongue without thought. U’riel swallows hard. He does not like this route of conversation much, but if it is necessary to help Kerhs’ young friend, then he will delve into it. “I did not. There were many days that I was… sad. There were many memories that I did not know what to do with. We grew up together,” he adds, for context. Temerity nods in understanding. “I missed him. I wanted the best for him, and at the time, I believed that I was not included in that. I did not want to be angry, but… admittedly, there were moments where I felt anger acutely as well. And sometimes, I was happy.” He pauses, considering. “I was not happy to be without him, but the way that my life was going was not all bad. I was happy in my trade. And I hoped that he was happy, too.” U’riel smiles, residual sadness pulling the edges down. “So, to answer your question, Temerity, I did not know how to feel. And there were many emotions that I felt, all in their own time. I found it easier to accept them when I felt them, and to let them pass, than to focus on seeking out the root cause of them and cause him harm for my own distress.” 

Again, it takes Temerity a moment to digest all that U’riel has said. That is alright. U’riel watches him, watches his expression shift as the words finally take hold. 

“I hate her,” Temerity says carefully. U’riel nods once. “But… I want…” He seems to be struggling, but U’riel waits for him to catch his thread of thought. “Sometimes I wish that she wasn’t— that she didn’t— that she’d actually liked me,” he finally gets out. U’riel nods again. “And… that’s okay?”

“Perfectly,” U’riel assures, and Temerity groans more quietly than he had before. 

“I hate this,” he says, and U’riel nods once more.

“It is not always easy,” he agrees. Temerity snorts. 

“Yeah, you can say that again.” Despite the continuing negativity, though Temerity seems to be regaining something of himself. He seems calmer; there are no longer tears flowing from his eyes, and he is speaking coherently. “Do you think I’ll ever  _ know _ ?” he asks, and he is looking away when he says it, but he sounds… strangely vulnerable. Despite his young age, it is the first time Temerity has actually  _ sounded  _ the part of a child since the first time U’riel met him. 

“I cannot say,” U’riel says honestly, softly. “You do not have to know.”

“What if I want to?”

“Then maybe one day, you will.” 

Temerity nods slowly, and U’riel catches sight of him swallowing. And then he looks back, and he has a half-smile on his face. 

“You remind me of my friend Van,” he states, and U’riel’s brows raise curiously. 

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” The smile that has taken over Temerity’s features is genuine, the first true happiness that U’riel has seen on his face. It looks right on him, the way a smile  _ should  _ look on a child. “He’s… really nice. He says similar stuff about—“ He waves his hand, making a face. “Y’know.  _ Her _ . But… I don’t know. Sometimes I forget how smart he is, and then someone like you says the same stuff. It’s weird. Maybe you can meet him, sometime.” Everything that Temerity is saying now sounds vaguely disconnected, but U’riel takes it in stride, smiling warmly at the young tiefling. 

“Perhaps,” he agrees. Temerity’s smile gets a touch bigger. Pleased pride wells up inside of U’riel, his heart clenching gently. While he does not know Temerity well, he has a good feeling about him. 

“Thank you,” Temerity adds quietly. He looks down. “I don’t… I used to be pretty bad at talking to people. I’m not a lot better now, but… I’m trying.”

U’riel shakes his head. “Becoming emotional is not a bad thing. You have not said anything that I blame you for.”

Temerity swallows hard again. “Um… Thanks.” He pauses a beat. “You give better advice than Kerhs.”

“I give advice, when I can. Kerhs gives… himself,” U’riel says. Temerity huffs a laugh, though it sounds slightly forced, as though he does not quite understand the joke. “Did he not cause you bodily harm upon your first meeting?”

“Eh.” Temerity shrugs it off. “I beat the shit outta him, too. It was mutual. And he bought me a drink, which was nice.” 

U’riel is finding it  _ immensely  _ difficult to understand this child, but he can also feel a strange fondness already settling into his heart for him. “You are very interesting,” he states, and Temerity does laugh properly at that. 

“Thanks.” He glances up, looks towards a window. When U’riel follows his gaze, he discovers that the rain has stopped. “I should probably get going. I’m meeting a friend of mine soon and she’ll be worried if I’m late.”

“...Van?” U’riel asks curiously. Temerity snorts. 

“Nah. Van’s back at home. I’m meeting someone else. Her name’s Kava. If you’re gonna be here awhile, maybe I can introduce you?” He cocks his head to the side in thought. “She’d like you, too.”

“I would enjoy that,” U’riel agrees. Temerity smiles again and rubs at his face, wiping away residual water and salt from his tears. 

“Mmkay. I’ll be back, then.” He waves towards U’riel before turning and heading out of the tavern, and U’riel waves back with a fond smile on his face, unable to keep it at bay any longer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here we go. 
> 
> Temerity and U'riel are mine.  
> Kerhs belongs to humorless_hexagon.  
> Idna (and the Large Brutish Man cameo) belongs to ragtag_slyboots  
> Van belongs to Dreamy_Serenade  
> Kava (and the Blue Gnome cameo) belongs to @mushygreens on tumblr
> 
> I think that's everybody!


	5. Meeting Another Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> U'riel meets Kava (and Trust).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame most of these chapters on my therapist and this one is only kinda an exception.

Temerity’s friend is a dragonborn.

U’riel is not quite sure what he is expecting, but when the young tiefling bounds back into the tavern with a beautiful bronze dragonborn behind him, he is definitely surprised.

(An avariel, a dragonborn, and a tiefling walk into a tavern. It sounded like the beginning of one of Kerhs’ terrible jokes.)

Temerity looks around before catching sight of him, and makes his way over immediately, plopping into the seat he had vacated barely an hour before. The dragonborn throws a curious glance towards U’riel before taking a seat beside Temerity.

“Hello,” U’riel greets.

“This is Kava, my friend,” Temerity replies, gesturing to the dragonborn. The dragonborn smiles and nods gracefully at him.

“You’re U’riel?” she asks, and when he nods, Kava looks pleased. There is a light in her eyes that gets brighter as she continues, “Temerity was adamant that I come and meet you.”

The dragonborn is older than the tiefling, but she does not seem to be _old_. If anything, she is around U’riel’s age, elven features excluded. U’riel cannot help but wonder how Temerity came to call her a friend, but that is a question for another time.

“It is good to meet you,” U’riel says with a smile. “Temerity had only good things to say about you.”

For a second, a look of surprise flits over Kava’s features. “Really?” she asks, looking down at Temerity. Temerity meets her gaze and looks sheepish as he gives a tiny shrug, and the surprise vanishes from Kava’s face again and leaves glowing pleasure in its wake. “I’m… glad,” she says, looking back at U’riel.

“How did the two of you meet, again?” she asks after a moment’s pause. U’riel does not miss the way she shifts in her seat, weight against the back of her chair on Temerity’s side protectively.

U’riel looks chagrined. “It has been a strange series of incidents,” he admits.

“Not _that_ strange,” Temerity butts in with. U’riel smiles at him softly.

“Admittedly, it was my partner who first came to meet young Temerity. They…” U’riel glances at Kava and cringes apologetically. “...apparently met each other in a fight.”

Temerity reaches up and pokes Kava’s arm. “Remember the fighting ring at the Countess Arms?” he asks, and although it does not ring a bell for U’riel, understanding blooms on Kava’s face. And then, she looks concerned.

“You’re still fighting there?” she asks, and Temerity looks down at the table.

“No! I… Sometimes, but… Only when I want to. It’s fun,” he defends himself. U’riel very much empathises with Kava’s concern.

Temerity makes a groaning noise. “Don’t worry about it, Kava. You know I can take care of myself.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Kava says softly, vehemently, and U’riel watches Temerity blink up at her like the concept is the most confusing thing he has ever heard. He feels like he is intruding on a private moment, suddenly, so he looks away, waiting for them to move past it.

“I— anyways,” Temerity finally says, and he does not clear his throat, but he sounds like he has swallowed hard. “I met Kerhs in the fighting ring. He gave me one of the best fights I’ve ever had there, actually.” Temerity sounds proud, so U’riel looks back up again to see him grin. “Then he bought me a drink and we talked a bunch about…” He trails off and gives Kava a meaningful look.

“Ah,” is all she says.

“And I saw them again a couple times, and now we’re here,” Temerity finishes, gesturing vaguely to the tavern around them. He leaves out the fact that he had been crying about an _Idna_ when he had come into the tavern earlier, so U’riel does not mention it, either. Some things, he supposes, are better left unsaid.

“Your partner, then… Is he here as well?” Kava asks.

U’riel bites his lip and shakes his head once. “No. He is… doing business elsewhere. I am to wait for him around here, actually.”

 _It has been longer than Kerhs said he would be away_ , U’riel thinks again, distraught.

Kava must see something of his thoughts on his face, because her scaled features soften and she reaches across the table, laying a clawed hand gently over one of U’riel’s.

“That’s alright. I’m sure we can all meet another time,” she says, and U’riel hardly knows her, but he appreciates the comfort nonetheless. She removes her hand after a moment passes.

Temerity hops out of his seat. “I’m going to see if they have anything I can feed to Trust,” he announces, and Kava nods at him. He heads to the bar while U’riel gives Kava a curious look.

“Trust?” he asks, and Kava looks fondly after Temerity.

“His mouse,” she explains. U’riel’s brows raise, and when Kava looks back and catches the expression, she lets out a laugh. “I know. It’s a little… disconcerting, at first, but he really loves her. She lives in one of his little pouches.”

“Ah,” U’riel replies. “I _was_ wondering about those.”

“He says they’re easier than a backpack to carry around,” Kava explains, her voice still warm and fond. “He’s a good kid. A little… misguided, sometimes, but that isn’t his fault.”

“The world can be a cruel place for a child,” U’riel muses softly, and Kava glances towards him, gaze sharp. It softens minutely after a moment.

“Yes… I suppose it can be,” she murmurs in response.

Temerity chooses that moment to slide back into his seat, a small piece of what looks to be bread clutched in his hand. As U’riel watches, he undoes the pouch at the front of his body and tears off a piece of the bread to wave in front of the open flap. A small, pink, whiskered nose pokes out a second later.

U’riel blinks. Temerity really _does_ have a mouse in his pouch. He is sure that he has seen stranger things in his life, but the sight of a tiny tiefling wiggling a piece of bread in front of a mouse from his pouch is not something he can claim to have ever seen before.

There is a comfortable silence between the three of them as Trust nibbles on her bread, and when it is finally gone, Temerity rubs his fingers along her head. She nuzzles at him affectionately before disappearing back into the pouch.

“We can’t stay much longer,” Kava says finally, sounding apologetic. When U’riel looks at her, he finds himself being addressed. “We still have to make accommodations for the night.”

“Oh! I did find somewhere to stay,” Temerity pipes up. “It’s a little ways across town, though.”

Kava smiles at the little tiefling. “Thank you,” she says, and U’riel bites back an amused chuckle at the way Temerity brightens at the praise and then clears his throat and leans back haphazardly in his seat, as though he does not want to be caught with such a positive emotion. It is a wild change from the angry child who had come bursting into the tavern an hour prior, but U’riel is quite fond of the change.

“That is alright. I would not want to keep you,” U’riel says, and Kava nods and stands. Temerity hops up, too.

“Bye, U’riel. Tell Kerhs I say hi!”

U’riel gives Temerity a wave; he does not have time to say anything more before Temerity turns and heads towards the door.

“Thank you,” Kava says quietly, once Temerity is out of earshot. U’riel cocks his head at her curiously. She shakes her head, expression growing sadder. “Temerity told me that he’d had a run-in with an old… with someone he used to know, before meeting up with me.”

“Idna,” U’riel supplies. He watches Kava wince and feels bad almost immediately for inadvertently causing her pain.

“Idna,” Kava confirms, though, with a nod. “And he told me that you talked to him about it.” She looks towards the door, where Temerity has already disappeared. “I’ve tried, but… he doesn’t want to hear it from me. I understand it.” She looks pained, for a moment, and then the struggle clears from her features. “Anyway. I just wanted to thank you for giving him a chance to talk, and for listening to him.”

“You said it yourself,” U’riel replies simply. “He is a good kid. You do not have to thank me.”

Kava’s eyes begin to shine with _something_ that U’riel feels like he nearly recognises. “I hope we meet again, U’riel,” she says, and reaches out. U’riel takes her hand and shakes it.

“Good luck,” U’riel says to her as she begins to step past him, and she smiles warmly back at him before leaving the tavern, following Temerity out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Temerity and U'riel are mine.  
> Kava belongs to @mushygreens on tumblr.  
> Kerhs belongs to @humorless_hexagon  
> Idna belongs to @ragtag_slyboots

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comments are love. Come scream at me on tumblr @deathishauntedbyhumans

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[PODFIC] Of Clashing and Conversation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15545403) by [sksNinja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sksNinja/pseuds/sksNinja)




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